Eight VARs rock up on £60m northern uni framework

Viglen, Logicalis, DTP and BT iNet lead the way after winning a place on all three lots of NEUPC network deal

A handful of resellers including Viglen, Softcat and Logicalis have won a place on the £60m North Eastern Universities Purchasing Consortium (NEUPC) networking framework.

The NEUPC is one of six national higher education purchasing consortia and consists of 15 universities based in the north east of England. Last summer, it tendered for £60m worth of networking equipment for its member institutions and predicted around 24 firms would win a place on the lucrative framework.

But just eight VARs have secured a spot, with Vigen, BT iNet, Logicalis and DTP winning a place on all three lots: equipment supply; projects less than £1m; and projects worth more than £1m.

Reseller Softcat won places on lots one and three while Insight was awarded a place on lots one and two. European ELectronique and Pervasive Networks both won a place on lot two, with the former also awarded a place on the first lot and the latter a berth on lot three.

The framework will run for two years with two optional 12-month extension periods.

The NEUPC award marks the final piece in the jigsaw for Softcat, which claims it is now present on all major hihger-education deals in the UK, including the National Desktop and Notebook Agreement (NDNA), IT Related Accessories and Parts (ITRAP) and the National Education Printer Agreement (NEPA).

Jamie Burke, Softcat's sales director, said the appointment on the NEUPC framework was a great start to the year.

"Customers have been telling us they need to consolidate their supply chain in order to realise cost efficiencies, and that it would be great to have one trusted advisor who sit on all the national HE frameworks," he said.

"Securing a place on the NEUPC networking framework is the perfect start to 2014, following over two years of hard work and investment by Softcat's education team."